Greek Gods

Greek Gods

The gods and goddesses of ancient Greece were 12 and very important for the ancient Greeks who worshiped them. Here is a list of the Greek deities:

Aphrodite
She was the goddess of love and she was known for her beauty and the effect she had on mortal men and gods as well, who were falling in love with her instantly.

Apollo
He was known for his beauty as well, he was the god of the sun and music.

Ares
He was the god of war, he loved quarrels.

Artemis
She was the goddess of the hunt.

Demeter
The goddess of harvest and family.

Athena
The goddess of wisdom, the protectress of Athens.

Dionysos
The god of high spirits and wine, he loved entertainment.

Hephaestus
He was the god of fire and forge, he was very ugly and married to Aphrodite.

Hera
She was the queen of gods, the wife of Zeus and she is often described as beautiful but mean.

Hermes
He was the god of travel and the messenger of the gods.

Poseidon
He was the god of the sea, the fate of sea men depended upon his mood and for that reason they made sacrifices in his name, mainly horses because he loved them.

Zeus
He was the father of all the gods, most powerful and ruler of Mount Olympus and the sky. He had many children and although he was married to Hera he often cheated on her making her angry and jealous.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom and military victory, and also the patron of the city of Athens was born in a rather odd way. Her parents were Zeus and Metis (the Goddess of Prudence or Craftiness and a nymph). After Zeus had left Metis pregnant he went to the oracle of Delphi to get the stats on the baby. What he found did not amuse him: The child Metis carried within her now was a girl, and she would be a powerful goddess and a great ally to Zeus. Her next child would be a boy, and when he grew up would be more powerful than Zeus, and would take over the god's kingdom. So, to prevent this from happening he swallowed Metis while still pregnant to Athena. After a while, Zeus developed strong headaches. He howled so loud it could be heard throughout the earth. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Once they realized what had to be done, Hephaestus was ordered to open Zeus' head with his axe. Out of his skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armor.